Foil pan on bottom shelf

Don't know if anyone does,as it could affect airflow,heat,etc.

Many of us that hot cook chicken for comps[turning the cooker up from a rib temp at 250*-275* to chicken cooking above 375*] put a second layer of HD foil over the heat/drip shield.

When we get ribs out,and prepare to crank it up,we remove the grease covered sheet to expose the new clean sheet below it.

Seems to work well for many of us.

Hope this helps a little.

Great Tip Tom!

great idea as it also occurred to me that adding the pan would require water or apple juice to prevent scorching and the moisture in the pan would possibly limit the bark.

I have a 7 rack unit and use a large foil pan half full of water on the very bottom rack. Briskets i put on the rack directly above waterpan. Bark is fine. Butts go over the water pan 2 and 3 shelves up (no brisket in) all the fat drips in the pan and just toss it when the cooks over. Dont have to change foil out as often either

what model are you using?
that also raises a question to Tom. i know the FEC is a very humid cooking enviroment but would the pan of water or juice reduce the bark?

just a side note. i have 6 neighbors wanting me to fire it up this weekend for more pulled pork. i think i will add a brisket to really put them over the edge. damn i love my FEC

stldoc
i asked the question about the foil pan as my brother has a SM50 and i have the fec 100. i know they both put out great product but operate differently. when you said you have 7 racks i assume it isn't an FEC 100.

just trying to understand if there are different ways to reach the same results based on pellet vs chunks.
and i appreciate the input.

quote:

Originally posted by seasoned1:
stldoc
i asked the question about the foil pan as my brother has a SM50 and i have the fec 100. i know they both put out great product but operate differently. when you said you have 7 racks i assume it isn't an FEC 100.

just trying to understand if there are different ways to reach the same results based on pellet vs chunks.
and i appreciate the input.

The FE100 comes with four racks, but it has a optional siderail system that will hold seven racks.

thanks for the explanation. i wasn't aware of the 7 rack system. just trying to learn and improve.

Been using the foil pan on the bottom for years

I've always cooked with the double foil setup that Tom speaks of because I hate to lose the use of the bottom rack. Espeically when I am cooking sixteen butts on the FEC.

7 rack is a FEC 100. Foil pan catches all grease so no chance of afire in the unit, and it keeps it clean. If you need to use the bottom rack for a large cook, then double foil like Tom said.

quote:

Originally posted by seasoned1:
.. i know the FEC is a very humid cooking enviroment but would the pan of water or juice reduce the bark?

I think your confusing what you brother told you about the CS and not the FE. I wouldn't call it as moist/humid as the CS models. Different design and heating method.

I don't add a water pan for the reason you suggest, it affects the bark. Been cooking on an FE for 6 years, tested a WP and did find it changed the bark.

I've cooked plenty of times with 16 butts in there and you're correct, if you cook with a LOT of grease and leave it in there then turn it up, you can get a fire.

Foil's pretty easy to pull and replace and you don't have to mess with the gray water.

I always so, read the advice, but if you're curious, cook with and without a pan and see if the results are different. No absolute answers, after all it's BBQ which means as long as it's BBQ it's all good.

Reference water pans and bark,it may depend on the use of the meat,and the experience of the cook.

We cook a lot of comps,and see an occasional cook use a water pan-but not for the cleanup use.

Some of those cooks will then use another cooking step,or move to a different cooker,to achieve the type of bark they are seeking-for their specific needs.

Some feel that foiling will affect the bark and they make additional adjustments.

I realize that this is not a direct yes,or no.

As Smokin' says,try it each way and see what meets your needs.

As to the seven rack system,most use it for flexibility,not for increased loads.

I appreciate everyone's input and i look forward to comparing the results myself. I am going to the plowboys cooking school next month and this will give me a chance to check with other FEC owners as well.

thanks again this forum is fantastic!

Good cook,so that should help cut your learning curve.

Ask too many questions,and take too many notes.

Update all your notes,as soon as you get home.
Call them and ask for clarifications,while they are fresh.

This is a great string. Being a new FEC owner and reading about fires has made me a bit nervous. I especially like the double foil solution.
Thanks everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by Denver Dave:
... reading about fires has made me a bit nervous.

Dan, You'll notice the negative in the forum a lot easier than the postive (the fire begin negative).

it's NOT a common occurance. Keep it clean, don't let great pool, keep the unit level and don't give grease and fire a change to meet.

IF you go high on temp (over 325) then you need to really be aware of those items above.

In 6 years, 4 FE's I had one fire, but it wasn't any of the above. It was an old model Traeger straight through auger (no longer made) and 50mpg winds blue the fire up the auger.

It does happen, but it's usually traced back to something specific.

Follow my list and that should take care of 99% of any such issues.

If you're still worried, start a new thread and ask, nothing wrong with getting info.

Russ

Since this is a real old thread, that refuses to die"like an urban legend",I'll toss in one more comment.

We cook all across the South for the last 6-8 yrs,and we have FECs like a convention.

The team has had about ten FEC s,used to compete,vend,and cater.

Yes,in all that period we have heard a couple of stories,but NEVER verified,an actual fire.

Now, my Sony TV can have a fire,if I do enough weird to it,but I can't verify what neighbor ever did it,and what dumb tricks they tried.

We haul ours 1500 miles on the weekend,work them like a borrowed mule,treat them like a junk wheelbarrow,and they are the LAST thing we worry about on the trip.

yes,the old joke about"somebody can screw up a steel ball with a rubber hammer" must be true-I just haven't seen that level of screwup yet,on our cookers.

Can Anyone tell me more about this tin foil on the bottom? I have a Cookshack AmeriQue Series
on the way and was told by a employee @the charcoal store that someone had covered the drain whole with tin foil while he was smoking potatoes and that the smoker "blew up" do to gases forming in the smoker (made a loud sound like a gun)

Prairie,

Please start a new post in the CS Open forum. Different smoker, different issue.

And the "loud bang" is a known thing, but it's not dangerous.